A short Epilogue will follow this last chapter.. so... stay tuned!

When Starsky and Hutch woke up, their wrists were fastened behind their backs and they were lying on the cold floor of a warehouse. There was nobody there, but the military jeep was parked inside and in the shadows appeared big cases with an Army emblem on them.

Starsky woke up first, groaned in pain when he opened his eyes and felt an enormous headache spreading from the point where he had been pistol whipped. He batted his eyelids to clear the vision and tried to understand where he was and what had happened.

Hutch was his first thought and, not seeing him immediately, an excruciating stab ran across his head, magnified by the increasing pumping of his blood at the mere thought of having lost track of his partner.

When he noticed his unconscious friend lying down in a corner, Starsky tried to stand up and staggered towards him, falling onto his knees a few inches from Hutch. The brunet had his hands still tied behind his back, so it was impossible for him to touch his partner, to verify if he was breathing, to shake him, to hug him, to brush his blond hair away from his eyes, or even just to feel physical contact with him. Starsky bent down, putting his face very close to Hutch's mouth, praying to feel his friend's breath, and muttered, "Oh please God, please… Hutch.. Wake up partner… please buddy…."

He was still in that position when Hutch opened his light-blue eyes and found his partner's face almost touching his own nose. "Wanna kiss me, buddy?" he said, in a sleepy voice

"Starsky immediately straightened and snapped back in relief, "It was about time, Sleeping Beauty!"

"Where are we?" Hutch asked, trying to get on his knees and moving his aching head to take his hair out of his eyes.

"No clue. There's military stuff here."

"Well.. I didn't know that the Army used these ways to demand answers. I may have skipped some news lately… but I didn't know we were in a dictatorship…"

At that very moment a door swung open and three pairs of heavy-duty boots came in against the light.

"So here we are… welcome back, officers," one of the men stated in an ironic tone.

"You could have given us a call if you needed to talk," Starsky answered drily.

The man came closer and violently grabbed him by the hair on the back of his head, pulling him backwards painfully. "We're not here to listen to your jokes, ok?"

Hutch instinctively jumped next to his partner but was stopped by the back of a gun in his stomach, as one other soldier approached to back up his commander. The blond detective collapsed with a deep groan. Starsky got free from the other man's grip and rushed to his friend, but his hands were still fastened so he wasn't able to grab his shoulders and hold him up.

"What do you think you are doing?" Starsky shouted out. "You are breaking a hundred different laws here… You'll be court martialed!"

The man in uniform approached Starsky and stopped only two steps from him.

"Yeah… That's what Fulbright would say. And that's why he will never catch the A-Team! Those three jokers have fooled the whole Army, the whole Nation for 10 years now… and you know why they haven't been arrested yet? Because commanders like Fulbright are weak. They won't dare to show their teeth in face of all those stupid rules…This is a war and there are no rules in war! I will get those men one way or the other and I'll revenge the only real commander I've ever had. He will be proud of me. Colonel Decker has taught me that the end justify the means… he has taught me to fight blindly. But the A-Team ruined his career, his future. They even caused him to have an emotional breakdown. But now… I will vindicate him, and , if I have to pay for this.. well I'm ready to do it. But once I have those criminals in jail, or even better if I have them dead, the officers in the court martial will have to thank me! My name, Captain Ruyard Craig, will be remembered for years."

"This is no justice and this is no war… this is fanaticism!" Starsky answered, while Hutch was still out of breath.

A heavy-duty boot landed on the brunet's face, throwing him onto the ground. His nose bled profusely and his head hurt even more after the savage blow. Hutch was between the two men in a heartbeat making his body a shield for his partner. "Craig, you will pay for this. The army will punish you! And you are doing this for no reason, cause we don't know anything about this A-Team", he told in a firm tone.

"We'll see, cop. We'll see."

Craig turned to his two men and nodded a silent order. They accomplished it in a storm of punches and kicks that hit the bodies of the two detectives in a savage and blind violence.

After a few minutes the soldiers were gone. Starsky and Hutch stayed in the semi-darkness, half conscious, scooting next to each other to find in their presence reciprocal comfort and relief.

The night arrived and it was long and dark. The two men were thirsty and weak from lack of food. Their bodies were hurting and they felt cold and dizzy.

Hutch noticed that his friend was more injured than himself and wondered if one of the blows could have caused some serious damage or if there was some other reason.

"Starsk, you ok?"

"T'rrific."

"Yeah, well… I mean… "

"I'm fine, Hutch. I'm sorry you're here because of me"

"I'm not here because of you," Hutch answered. "I'm here with you. You asked me a question today, remember?"

Starsky's eyes turned towards Hutch. Of course he remembered.

"Well, I guess I have plenty of time to answer now.

"You're right, buddy, at the beginning I was just backing you up in this. But then something changed… First I felt grateful to the A-Team for saving your life and then…," Hutch stopped and thought for a while, "Then I started thinking that I would go out and fight with these men every day if necessary. I relate to them, and I can FEEL them. Does it make sense?"

"It does to me", Starsky answered with a half-smile.

"I don't think I'd be able to be so strong and generous to others if I had been set up by the system the way they have been."

Starsky nodded in agreement but he said nothing and his eyes still seemed haunted.

"Starsk?"

"Yeah."

"We're gonna make it, pal."

"I know."

Hutch scooted a little closer but he couldn't put an arm on his friend's shoulders, as he would have wanted. His wrists were hurting in the ropes.

After some time that could have lasted one minute or one month, they fell asleep, leaning against each other.

"Huutch! "

Starsky's shout woke his partner up in terror.

"Starsk, I'm here. I'm right here, buddy! Wake up..it's just a bad dream…"

The brunet opened his terrified eyes and watched his partner in pure panic.

"Hutch. I've been in that interrogation room… I don't want the Vietcong to have you. I won't let them take you…"

"Listen to me, pal. There are no Vietcong here; we are not in 'Nam… we're in LA now. The war is over now, Starsk. It's over."

Hutch leaned his forehead against his partner's sweaty one and tried to steady his pulse using his own soothing gaze and to slow down his gasping using his own breath.

"It happened to you, partner, huh? You were questioned by Vietcong over there and you are living it all over again. These days have been awful...so many horrible things coming back to you. But they are memories, Starsk. They are memories. Only awful memories. Now things are different and you are different, too. You're stronger."

"Who says that?" Starsky sobbed.

"I say it. You have something you didn't have at the time."

"What?"

"The 'me and thee', buddy..."

Starsky let out a small smile and those simple words seemed to finally break in and crack his pain.

"I can't lose you, Hutch"

"You won't."

Starsky and Hutch were finally sleeping when Captain Craig and his men opened the door and came in. The sun was shining outside but the light in the warehouse was always dim.

"Good for you, that you could sleep tight!" Craig began. "Now it's time for us to have a talk… I'll start with one of you… The choice is up to you, cops. Who would you like me to start with?"

Hutch jumped up as if he had been stung.

"So let's start, Cap'n", he stated in a proud voice. "But you'll see very soon that I know nothing, nor does my partner.…" He knew he could resist any kind of questioning this time. He had to demonstrate it to his partner, to his new friends, and above all to himself that he would have never given his friends away. It happened when he was kidnapped by Ben Forest, but it was the drug that made him betray his girl. The heroin had taken his conscience away. It wasn't Hutch talking but his craving for a fix. No type of violence would ever be enough to break him.

One of Craig's men gripped Hutch's arm and started to walk away with him but Starsky stood up and ran towards them. "No!" he cried out, "Don't take him, take me!"

"Too late, Detective!" Craig laughed.

"Take me… I'm a soldier… and so I am the kind of man you would like to break, right?" Starsky barked out, trying to push the right button and make Craig change his mind. He was ready to face those ghosts by facing them. He was ready to confront his nightmares if it could save his partner.

"A soldier…." Craig said and he stopped his man. "It changes things a little..." The button was now pushed.

Hutch understood immediately what Starsky was trying to do and he protested with eyes full of unshed tears. He knew what this decision might cost Starsky. Hutch wanted to spare his partner… he was resolute to go in his place.

Craig watched them and stated, "Well well well… this is the first time I've seen two men struggling to get what you're going to get!

"So I'll decide for you…. C'mon soldier…. Let's talk about good ol' times in 'Nam!"

Starsky was taken away; he looked broken but he still nodded a reassuring smile to his partner. Hutch could only watch him walking out and say "You're stronger than back then, pal…"

Hutch knew that his friend would have never let out a word: he didn't as a soldier, he had never done it as a cop and he would never do it as a friend.

Both men had lost their time perception since they had been kidnapped, but Hutch was sure that the time Starsky spent with those men lasted forever. He was still alone when he suddenly heard a huge explosion and a spray of gunfire. He heard an engine and people shouting outside. A gun was now shooting at the door of the warehouse and Hutch covered himself behind a wooden case, hoping it wasn't full of ammunition.

The door swung open and Hannibal came in. He ran towards Hutch and removed the ropes from his aching wrists.

"Colonel! It's you! My partner…"

"No worries, Detective. Face and BA are taking him out. He is alright… a little battered but he resisted… he has been a hell of a comrade in arms."

Hannibal gave Hutch a gun and they stepped out of the warehouse together. Starsky was there, holding on to BA to steady his stricken, bruised body.

Craig and his men were tied together and Hannibal told them, "As soon as Fulbright knows what you have done, you'll have a hard time facing justice. You are a shame to your uniforms and we still believe in the integrity of our army enough to know you'll pay for what you did to these men. You are fanatics that are lower than dirt in our military code."

"Our military code, Smith?" Craig answered, "You have no code, you.."

"They are men of Honor," Starsky interrupted, "but you will never understand what it means, Craig."

"You're the man of honor, officer," Hannibal added.

Starsky and Hutch got into the Van with the A-Team and they went away together, leaving the tied men ready to receive the MP's.

Hannibal ordered BA to drive to the hospital, so the detectives could receive the medical assistance they needed.

"How did you know about us?" Hutch asked.

"Face noticed something strange yesterday, but we weren't sure," Hannibal answered, "But when Murdock told us that you didn't show up today, we decided to find out why Craig was in town…"

"Thank you," said Starsky.

Face watched him and answered, "Thanks to you. We have spent so much time thinking we could only count on each other… we had almost forgotten that we could trust someone else. Thank you for reminding us about it."

"I'm sorry for what happened in Hanoi… I know you are innocent and I wish we could do anything to…" Hutch added.

"You just did," Hannibal stated. "You have shown us that we still belong to this Nation."